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Iowa football: High expectations good for Hawks title hopes

By Andrew Wade

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 01: Mekhi Sargent #10 of the Iowa Hawkeyes rushes during the 2019 Outback Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 01: Mekhi Sargent #10 of the Iowa Hawkeyes rushes during the 2019 Outback Bowl against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Raymond James Stadium on January 1, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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We are still months away from the Iowa football season beginning, but media members are already high on the Hawks entering the 2019 season.

Although the Iowa football team lost 14 key contributors to graduation and early declaration after a disappointing 2018 season, expectations are high in Iowa City for the Hawkeyes and rightfully so.

Kirk Ferentz’s team is returning a three-year starting quarterback (Nate Stanley), two potential first-round tackles (Tristan Wirfs and Alaric Jackson), a likely top-10 pick at defensive end (AJ Epenesa) and seasoned veterans at the linebacker position (Nick Niemann, Kristian Welch) not to mention a maturing and explosive wide receiver core that we haven’t seen in years from the Iowa football team.

The players mentioned above are a large reason The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel has the Iowa football ranked 18th in his early top-25 poll entering the college football season.

An early top-25 poll may not seem important now especially considering there have been no games played and history tells us there will be a ton of movement in the polls. Yet, it kind of is.

For a team with College Football Playoff aspirations, being ranked high to start the season makes the journey a heck of a lot easier. Just ask the 2015 Iowa football team. It took them five wins to even enter the polls and 7 wins to enter the top 10. It also required a perfect regular season just to be in the top 5. Then, when they lost to Michigan State on a last-second touchdown run, they dropped two spots. Being ranked early matters.

It means expectations were always high for the program, and it also means that you have a little bit more wiggle room. If that 2015 Iowa football team would have lost one game prior to the Big Ten Championship game, there would have likely been no chance they make the College Football Playoff. They had to go undefeated because they started the season out unranked.

Next. Three key offensive players in 2019. dark

At the end of the day, the Hawkeyes need to win regardless, but high expectations early can make the journey much easier.

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